Chapter 19. Brother (1)
The day the gambling incident happened.
Kalyan stayed up all night going through the evidence.
It was about the operation and bribery of a gambling house, and Evan’s name was not in it.
It was something I expected, so I wasn’t too upset.
Anyway, the main purpose was to obscure the relationship between Plants and Calian, and it was a stone thrown to reduce Evan’s power.
So morning came and Lemain called Calian.
Because it was something Kyrie was involved with.
However, instead of mentioning Kyrie, Calian said something somewhat unexpected to Lemain.
“In order to prevent the Marquis of Briesen from joining hands with Brother Landel, Brother Planz held the hand of the Marquis of Briesen. In order to prevent the Marquis from suspecting Brother Planz’s intentions, I interfered with the Marquis’s gambling house.”
After hearing the explanation of the situation, Lemain was truly surprised. Although he knew to some extent, it was because Calian’s trap-setting skills were not average.
After completing a series of explanations, Calian looked at Lemain and continued.
“But if the matter becomes too big and the Marquis decides to change his mind, the situation could only get worse, Your Highness.”
I said this because I was worried that I would push Evan into a corner too much and that Evan would say he didn’t know what was wrong and reach out to Randel or rebel against Lemain.
“So, if someone is revealed in the investigation, I ask that you finish by filtering that person out.”
Lemain looked at Alan, who was sitting silently next to him. I took a moment to measure Evan’s strength in the Knights and Vulcan.
As a result of that judgment, Lemain nodded and answered.
“Yes, I will.”
“thank you.”
No matter how much its power has diminished, it is Brisen.
His knights were still alive and well. The reputation of being one of the two greatest knightly families of Kairis, along with Siegfried, could not have been lost due to something done by Silike.
“Then who do you think the Marquis will take the lead?”
“This is Viscount Gareth.”
“You’re the one who talked about sending wheat to Tensil at the last meeting.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Among those who are close to the Marquis of Briesen, there are many nobles with enough wealth that it wouldn’t be strange to run a gambling house and make it up. Can I ask why you thought of Viscount Geres?”
Calian’s answer followed immediately.
“I heard that many of the buildings on Astricia Street are his. Viscount Geres is very wealthy, but his private army is not very good. Although the Marquis of Briesen suffered a financial loss from this incident, the profits from the estate are not very good. So, there won’t be a shortage of money right away. However, there are many knightly families who left Briesen due to the former queen’s affair. So the Marquis would consider a nobleman with a private army more important than money, and now the Marquis of Briesen has a card that he can throw away. “The only nobleman without private soldiers is Viscount Geres.”
There is no hesitation in answering. He was also seeing accurately the situation of not only Evan Briesen, but also the nobles who had joined hands with him.
Lemain nodded and opened his mouth.
“Okay, I understand. Just go away.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Calian answered quietly, stood up, showed respect, and walked out of the office.
And after a while.
The investigator’s report listing the name ‘Shale Gerres’ as the prime suspect was delivered to Lemain.
LeMaine saw this and looked at Alan, who was muttering while picking up a persimmon boiled in sugar. And then he spoke with quite proud eyes.
“My son is truly extraordinary.”
For some reason, the words ‘my son’ filled me with great pride. Therefore, Alan quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and then opened his mouth.
“My student is truly extraordinary.”
Alan picked up another persimmon with a graceful movement and put it in his mouth, and Lemain continued speaking as if he had not heard what Alan said at all.
“Who do you resemble and who is so brilliant? It’s surprising.”
Alan made a shocked face.
If it weren’t for the sweet persimmon in his mouth, Alan, who hates losing, might have said this.
He looked like Chase.
The snake-like Devlan and the cow-like Lemaine are nothing alike.
* * *
Calian, who was born as a blood relative of the snake-like Devlan, raised under the education of Chase, and lived as the son of the cow-like Lemaine, was soaking in the bathtub.
To be precise, he was submerging himself in a black bathtub filled with warm water, tapping the surface of the water with his fingers and lowering his eyes. In short, I was really thinking a lot.
Therefore, Jan, who was trying to help Calian get ready for bed, came out of the room without even making a sound. And because I had something to say, I stopped Kyrie who was about to enter Calian’s room.
“I don’t think we should disturb the prince now.”
“All right.”
Kirie went straight back without asking any more questions.
It looked like they were going to the training center again at that late hour, so Yan looked bored for a moment.
Two months have passed since the gambling house was settled.
All of Viscount Gerres’ property was confiscated.
In fact, other than being on Evan’s side, he had nothing to do with the gambling house, so the matter was concluded by confiscating only the property that became a medium for joining hands with Evan and preventing it from returning to Evan.
And Lemain did not hold Kyrie guilty of murder. However, he was held responsible for swinging a sword outside the palace as a servant and was punished with a two-month suspension.
Suspension from duty, not probation.
This meant that I had to go outside the palace.
After hearing those words, Calian smiled very strangely.
‘I already had a place to visit, so it worked out well.’
I can’t believe I’m suspended from work while I have to go outside.
Even if Kirie wasn’t in the palace, no one would suspect anything. So, rather than a punishment, it should be seen as a good excuse to get Kirie out of the palace.
Today was the day that Kirie, who had been away for two months, returned to Kairisis. And as soon as Kyrie saw Calian, she said a brief greeting and immediately said this.
‘On the way to Kairisis, I saw Tensil’s congratulatory delegation procession. But the number is too high.’
A typical congratulatory delegation does not exceed 50 people, including escorts.
‘Nearly a hundred people. It seemed like priests were involved.’
Calian lowered his eyes.
Nearly twice the normal number entered Kyris.
Naturally, Calian immediately went to Lemain and asked about this, and Lemain responded as follows.
‘He said he would send 30 priests, including those who returned to Tensil, as an apology for his previous rudeness and as repayment for the salt support.’
Calian could not argue with Lemain’s decision to accept it. Even if it felt bad just hearing it, it wasn’t something to be suspicious about. It wasn’t even a day or two that Tensil sent a priest.
But I was anxious.
After hearing those words, Kalian returned and spent the whole day tapping on the table. Even after doing that, I went into the bathtub and was lost in thought because of questions I couldn’t understand at all.
“I think Brother Randel is up to something.”
It was the same when I saw a rose that glowed red.
Even though there was no basis whatsoever, Randel came to mind. But it’s the same this time too. As soon as I heard Kirie’s words, I thought it was Randel. But I couldn’t figure out why.
“I wonder what we can do with the priest…”
Calian muttered like this and took a deep breath.
I heard the words of someone from outside the bathroom whose depth of consideration was different from that of Jan, who left the room without making a sound.
“come out.”
The voice of the second older brother, who is very affectionate and not paying attention to the deep worries of the pensive younger brother. Calian immediately frowned and opened his mouth in an annoyed voice.
“yes.”
He tells me to come out, so I have to go out. Is there anything I can do?
I had no choice but to shake off the many, many thoughts, get up, put on my robe, and go out.
The two were still ‘not on good terms’.
What this means is that even though you still have something to say, you are unable to say it openly.
At first, I would convey simple words through Arsene.
The problem was that in the space of two months, Arsene had realized that Planz was a surprisingly patient person. Thanks to this, Arsene began to climb up to Plantz little by little. Of course, Plantz’s patience was not enough to withstand the oncoming fight, so the two got to the point where they growled at each other just by looking at their faces.
‘Shouldn’t I stop you at that level, Master?’
‘At that level, we are in peace, so don’t worry.’
Looking at those two, there is no way Calian or Allen would have mediated.
Of course I left it alone. It was a pretty good sight.
Anyway, as a result of that incident, Calian and Plantz reached an agreement that they should just sleep with the windows unlocked. Proper communication was impossible through Arsene.
“What are you doing this early?”
“I think the Margrave will return.”
“Are you saying that Margrave Gray Briesen is coming to Kairisis again?”
“okay.”
The spot where you got hit probably still hurts a lot.
Calian laughed for a moment at this thought.
“That’s strange. I don’t think the Marquis of Briesen would have called the Margrave.”
Gray was no longer the Sword Master.
Plantz knew that. Of course, they didn’t say who made it.
In any case, neither Evan nor Randel knew that Gray was no longer the Sword Master. Gray would have known best that the moment it was discovered that he was not a sword master, his head would be cut off, so he must have kept it hidden somehow.
“The Marquis will not be able to sense the Auras from the Margrave, so if he meets him, he will think that the Margrave has become stronger than himself. He will not think that it is because all the Aurors have disappeared. There is no reason to blindly bring such a Margrave to the capital. Besides, the Margrave is a Margrave. “There is no reason yet to covet his private soldiers.”
“I heard the Marquis was surprised to hear the information.”
“Then perhaps?”
Calian paused for a moment and pointed upward with his finger.
The question is whether it was Randel who called Gray.
“maybe.”
Plantz’s head moved up and down.
Calian did not know what the priest Malcolm Chetish, whom he had met in the County of Latran, had done to Gray. I had only heard through information from Euria that Gray was already walking. However, I knew very well that there was no chance of Gray recovering his skills since the aurors did not build up again in the destroyed danjeon.
“Why did you call me? Why did you say you would come?…”
Thirty priests. gray.
And Randel.
Calian, who was deep in thought because he couldn’t think of a connection, had an interesting smile on his face.
“You give me an interesting riddle, brother.”
These were Calian’s words to himself.
People like problems because they are difficult.
He didn’t care about the way his older brother looked at him, wondering where in the world such a crazy person could be.
* * *
The knight’s eyes frowned as he looked ahead.
Soon he looked at the group following behind him and said.
“for a moment.”
At those words, those who were heading to Kairisis along the royal road pulled the reins of their horses. Since there was no one else in the group with as good eyesight as the knight, everyone had puzzled looks on their faces.
Soon the knight turned his horse’s head and approached the person in the middle of the group. And then I said to him who turned his head as if asking what was going on.
“There are people far ahead who appear to be Tensil priests.”
Unlike usual, Kirie was not the only one who saw more congratulatory delegations from Tensil.
All royal roads eventually lead to Kairisis, so even if they start from different places, they are bound to eventually meet on the same road. That was not a strange thing at all, so the person who heard the knight said,
“If you see each other, just say hello.”
Those are carefree words.
Tensil and they had a perfect adversarial relationship.
Nevertheless, he said he would say hello.
However, the driver, who had never seen something like this for a day or two, explained it again without saying much.
“There are ‘many’ people who appear to be priests. Thirty people.”
The person who heard the words, which meant not to be stubborn, laughed softly.
“I think it would be nice to spend a day nearby.”
“Okay. We’re almost there, but it’s a shame.”
Only then did the knight, who bowed his head, retreat.
Soon, a knight’s voice was heard instructing the group to find a suitable place to stay.
The person who was watching this opened his mouth in a low voice.
“There are thirty priests.”
Red lips drew a long arc under the deep white hood.
